carelli's

[mongo_jones]

what is your opinion of carelli's in the williams village complex as opposed to the full moon grill (or is it half?)?

[estherschindler]

Uh... in which state? This forum covers the entire southwest.

[mongo_jones]

Uh... in which state? This forum covers the entire southwest.

see subtitle of original post. boulder, colorado.

[fredbram]

I'm not familiar with it. Is Carelli's relatively new?

[afoodnut]

Mongo,

I have a hard time comparing the two. I enjoy them both, but think they're very different types of restaurants, although they both have good, well prepared food.

Atmosphere at the two is very different;

Carelli's has a buzzy warmth with a central fireplace with glowing copper hood, lots of brick, a brick wall behind the bar. Full Moon atmosphere is understated, quiet.

Carelli's has a large menu, including all the standards such as pizza, calzone, antipasto, pastas, veal, chicken, shrimp, risotto; a broad range of American/Italian, done well.

Full Moon has a small limited menu, it's more chef Brad Heap's interpretations with a trendy emphasis on contemporary twists, and named, sourced ingredients.

Edited January 20, 2004 by afoodnut (log)

[afoodnut]

I'm not familiar with it. Is Carelli's relatively new?

Carelli's is not new. I'm not sure exactly how long it's been around, but I think it's 12 or 13 years in the current location.

edit to add: It has changed over the years, going through expansion and extensive remodelling, addition of full bar etc.

Edited January 20, 2004 by afoodnut (log)

[colestove]

I live in Aurora and have never eaten at Carelli`s. My wife and I took her daughter and son in law to dinner last June at Full Moon Grill and enjoyed it greatly. As afoodnut said the menu is not large but well thought out and well executed with the exception of desserts which I thought were not well done.

colestove

[estherschindler]

Uh... in which state? This forum covers the entire southwest. 

see subtitle of original post. boulder, colorado.

Ah. Well, I just discovered that when the link lands in your e-mail box (and you never see the listing, just the message), the subtitle isn't included!

(sorry)

[mongo_jones]

I live in Aurora and have never eaten at Carelli`s. My wife and I took her daughter and son in law to dinner last June at Full Moon Grill and enjoyed it greatly. As afoodnut said the menu is not large but well thought out and well executed with the exception of desserts which I thought were not well done.

colestove

we ate at full moon grill last fall and thought the meal was great--i think i might have mentioned it here earlier--especially at the price. our dessert--one of those kitchen needs early warning chocolate souffles--was to die for.

i've also visited carelli's once. that was with a large group and with all the conversation the food suffered a little. in any event i got a special then (gnocchi in a tomato sauce) and remember it being unremarkable (but see above). i did like the feel of the room though.

we haven't eaten italian out in a while (having just returned from a month in india) and i'm trying to pick between them. while everything at full moon grill was very good perhaps i should give carelli's another chance, and this time try something from the menu. and focus a little more on the food too.

[afoodnut]

Mongo,

You've analyzed it pretty well already. The food at Carelli's is not going to wow you; it's reliable and well prepared, (a good place for a group) but not a peak food experience; it's not the same type of meal or experience as at Full Moon.

I do have another suggestion for you, though, if it's Italian you're craving. Have you tried Laudisio at 28th and Iris? It's less the standard Italian American that Carelli's is, it's less the contemporary Colorado that Full Moon is, it's closer to Italian. (My favorite old reliable on their regular menu is the chicken scarpariello.) Good wine list, atmosphere is pseudo Tuscan, warm; It's usually my first choice for Italian in Boulder.

Edited January 20, 2004 by afoodnut (log)

[colestove]

Mongo-- If you can travel to Denver and want a really good Italian Experience let me suggest Luca d Italia. Fresbram and I (separate experiences) have both enjoyed excellent meals there. Frank Bonnano is IMHO one of the best chefs in the area. One more idea fouryour consideration.

colestove

[mongo_jones]

i don't know if we want to go to denver or plonk down cash for a really fine italian experience this time around, but i'll keep luca d italia in mind for when we do.

afoodnut, is laudisio's priced about the same as full moon grill and carelli's?

[afoodnut]

afoodnut, is laudisio's priced about the same as full moon grill and carelli's?

Mongo-

I hope you didn't need the information for last night, but I'll answer anyway.

Depending on what you're ordering, I think Laudisio is about the same as Full Moon or a little more expensive. Laudisio has a larger selection than Full Moon, with some more expensive choices. For appetizers, salads, pastas, chicken dishes they're similar in price, but meats are more expensive at Laudisio. (If I remember, roughly $7-10 for appetizers; $10-18 pasta; chicken $17-18; meat entrees in the $20's at Laudisio.) Laudisio does not have the pizzas, calzones, subs and low cost choices that Carelli's has; overall, Carelli's is less expensive than Laudisio, but again, depending on what you're ordering, they can be comparable.

Did you go to any of them last night (or elsewhere) or is the meal still in the future?

[mongo_jones]

Did you go to any of them last night (or elsewhere) or is the meal still in the future?

next week. and laudiso's it will be. i'll post a review.